Every bowling lane comes with a standard arrangement of furniture and equipment — the table where the scoring monitor sits, the seating for players waiting their turn, the rack where house balls are stored, and the ball return that brings your ball back after each shot. Most of us use this space without really knowing what the different components are called or why they're arranged the way they are.
The Scoring Table / Control Console
The most prominent piece of furniture at any modern bowling lane is the scoring table — the low counter that faces the lane and holds the scoring monitor, ball returns, and often food and drink space. This is sometimes called the "control console" or simply "the table." It's the social hub of the lane: where scores are tracked, where drinks and snacks rest between frames, and where non-bowlers sit to watch.
Modern scoring tables are designed around the overhead monitor system. The table surface typically has a built-in ball return tunnel on one or both sides, integrated scoring keypad (in older non-automatic systems), and often cup holders and a small ledge for personal items. High-end venues have replaced the standard table with upholstered booth seating and dedicated food service areas at each lane.
The Ball Return
The ball return is the mechanical conveyor system that sends your ball back to you after each delivery. It consists of a ball-receiving area at the end of the lane (behind the pins), a conveyor belt running beneath the lane, and a "ball return track" that brings the ball back to the player's end — where it comes to rest in the ball return rack, a curved cradle at the scoring table level.
The return track is typically integrated into the scoring table, positioned at a height where the ball can be picked up comfortably without bending. Most lanes have returns on both sides of the scoring table to serve right-handed and left-handed bowlers simultaneously, or to serve both lanes in a pair.
Player Seating
Traditional bowling alleys use fixed bench-style seating behind the scoring table. These benches run the width of the lane pair and seat the players of both lanes who aren't currently bowling. The layout is intentionally simple: players sit, watch, and move to the approach when it's their turn.
Modern eatertainment venues have dramatically upgraded the seating at bowling lanes. Individual lanes may feature:
- Lounge chairs and sofas for players waiting their turn
- High-top seating with stools around the scoring table
- Food service integration with dedicated ordering tablets or server call buttons
- Private lane areas with semi-enclosed seating for groups
The social experience of bowling has always been important, and the design of the lane area reflects that. The seating arrangement at a lane is specifically intended to keep the group together, visible to each other, and engaged with both the game and the social interaction around it.
The Approach Area
The approach is the wood or synthetic surface between the seating area and the foul line — where the bowler walks and delivers the ball. Standard approaches are approximately 15 feet long and are marked with dots (circles in the wood/synthetic surface) at specific board intervals to help bowlers find their consistent starting position.
The approach transitions to the lane at the foul line — a dark line marked across the full width of the lane. Touching or crossing the foul line during or after delivery is a violation.
Ball Storage at the Lane
House balls (the balls available for public use) are stored on ball racks — typically metal or plastic tiered racks positioned either behind the approach or in a centralized location in the bowling center. Individual lanes don't usually have dedicated ball racks; players select their ball from the central rack and carry it to the approach.
For league bowlers with their own equipment, the scoring table area typically has space for personal ball bags, and many serious bowlers have a spot at the table where their ball and accessories are kept during the session.
Lane Courtesy Etiquette
The physical layout of the lane area directly informs bowling etiquette. The approach is considered the active zone — when someone is preparing to bowl on either your lane or the adjacent lane, everyone else steps back from the approach and avoids movement in the bowler's peripheral vision. This "lane courtesy" rule exists because the approach is a shared space: adjacent lanes often overlap in the peripheral vision of the bowler on the approach.